Chapter 512: Grievously Wounded

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Although Sato knew that Gyarados were naturally ferocious, he hadn't expected it to mercilessly attack a fellow Gyarados that had already lost the ability to fight. He wanted to intervene, but it was already too late.

Boom!!!

The Hyper Beam from the Level 53 pseudo Elite Four level Gyarados struck the red Gyarados head-on, causing a violent explosion. The black PokeBall that had just been opened was instantly destroyed.

In an instant, sharp shards of rock blasted outward in all directions.

Fortunately, Arcanine reacted immediately—shielding Sato with its body and using Protect to block the blast. Otherwise, he would've definitely been caught in the close-range explosion.

Once the flames and thick smoke from the explosion were quickly washed away by the rain, what appeared before Sato was a Gyarados with shattered scales and profusely bleeding wounds.

Even though the red Gyarados was incredibly resilient, it had already lost its ability to fight. To take a Hyper Beam from a Level 53 Gyarados head-on and still survive… was nothing short of miraculous.

However, the red Gyarados's life force was rapidly slipping away. Sato could clearly see the light fading from those eyes, which were even larger than many Pokemon.

"Damn it! Bellossom, teach it a fucking lesson—attack with a fully charged Energy Ball! Arcanine, Hidden Power! Ariados, Poison Sting! Ursaring, Hyper Beam!"

Seeing the red Gyarados on the brink of death, Sato's eyes filled with murderous fury. He immediately commanded all his nearby Pokémon to unleash a relentless assault on the Level 53 Gyarados, which was momentarily immobilized due to the recoil from its own Hyper Beam.

At the same time, he quickly pulled out another black PokeBall and hurled it at the red Gyarados.

In the next second, Bellossom raised both hands as a terrifying surge of energy began gathering above her. The Energy Ball rapidly swelled to three meters in diameter before she forcibly condensed it down to just one meter.

She did this in under three seconds.

Then, she hurled the condensed orb—overflowing with deadly power—straight at the Level 53 Gyarados.

Meanwhile, Arcanine, Ariados, and Ursaring had already launched their attacks: a barrage of bright green energy bullets, a flurry of purple toxic needles, and a half-meter-wide beam of energy all struck the target in quick succession.

Another massive explosion rang out—louder than the last.

Bellossom's final Energy Ball hit the Level 53 Gyarados dead on, triggering a massive blast across its body. A gut-wrenching shriek followed.

The combined attack from four Pokémon—especially Bellossom's devastating Energy Ball—left half of the Gyarados's face a mangled mess. It wailed in agony, unable to stop screaming.

On the other side, the black PokeBall Sato had thrown successfully captured the red Gyarados. It didn't even have the strength to resist, and the red light at the ball's center dimmed instantly.

Just then, the Kecleon perched on Sato's shoulder acted on instinct. Without waiting for instructions, it extended its long tongue and snatched the black PokeBall off the ground, retrieving it swiftly.

"Well done, Kecleon! Use Role Play to copy the 'Swift Swim' Ability from that Poliwhirl in the lower right, then use Skill Swap to give it to Arcanine."

Taking the ball from Kecleon, Sato didn't even spare a glance at the battered Level 53 Gyarados. He quickly recalled Ariados and Ursaring with their PokeBalls and gave Kecleon new instructions.

Once the command was given, Sato climbed onto Arcanine's back along with Bellossom and instructed Arcanine to charge into the forest without looking back.

The Poliwag and Tympole groups weren't the kind of Pokémon to mess with. Previously, they had been easy to take down because their forces were scattered.

But now that they had regrouped, their confidence was resurging. While Sato was facing off against the Gyarados', they had already begun surrounding him.

And now, seeing the Level 53 Gyarados heavily wounded by Sato's Pokémon, the previously hesitant Gyaradoses in the lake immediately identified Sato and his team as enemies. A few hot-tempered ones even started gathering energy for Hyper Beam in their mouths.

Kecleon moved fast. In less than two seconds, it had copied the 'Swift Swim' Ability from the Poliwhirl and transferred it to Arcanine using Skill Swap.

With 'Swift Swim,' the relentless rain pouring from the sky no longer hindered Arcanine's speed. In fact, it became his greatest asset.

In a flash, Arcanine's speed skyrocketed under the rain.

Combining that with Extreme Speed, Arcanine turned into a streak of red lightning, dodging the wild Pokémon's attacks before they could even fall.

The next instant, before the stunned wild Pokémon could react, Arcanine had already carried Sato, Bellossom, and Kecleon far from view.

One minute later, at the border between Slakoth Forest and Spider Forest, a panting Arcanine arrived with Sato and the others and stopped beneath a large, empty tree.

"Bellossom, quickly use Grassy Terrain to heal Gyarados's wounds."

"You've done great, Arcanine. Here, drink some water and eat a few PokeBlocks. Take a rest."

"Come out, Ariados, Ursaring. Stand guard around the area."

As soon as Arcanine stopped, Sato released the red Gyarados, Ariados, and Ursaring onto the nearby open space. He then calmly issued orders to his team.

The red Gyarados's injuries were grave. While the PokeBall had temporarily halted the deterioration of its condition, it couldn't provide treatment. The moment it was released, its life force began fading rapidly again.

Fortunately, under Bellossom's Grassy Terrain, the red Gyarados's condition started to improve, and its life force stabilized.

However, its injuries were far too severe, and one particular wound was especially deadly.

The Hyper Beam from the Level 53 Gyarados had pierced right through a segment of its massive body. Blood was still gushing from the hole, and not even Grassy Terrain could close such a large wound quick enough.

As the red Gyarados continued losing blood, even the effects of Grassy Terrain couldn't stop its life force from slipping away. It was practically one step from the grave.

"This was a miscalculation. I didn't expect that Gyarados to be so ruthless—to even strike down its own kind. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I hope this stuff works on Pokémon too… otherwise, I've really taken a loss."

Watching the red Gyarados teeter on the edge of death, Sato clenched his teeth and finally pulled out a vial of precious Revival Serum from his bag.

Uncapping it, he poured every last drop of the rare liquid into the red Gyarados's mouth—with Arcanine and Ursaring assisting.